Firefighters corral 200-acre brush fire near Sacramento International Airport
Firefighters remain on scene Tuesday after a two-alarm brush fire sparked near Sacramento International Airport.
The blaze, dubbed the Power Line Fire, ignited just before 1:30 p.m. near Garden Highway and Power Line Road, about two miles south of the airport, said Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Sylvia said that firefighters arrived at the scene to find a tractor mowing knee-to-waist-high dry grass in the open fields. Crews quickly elevated the call to two alarms as flames in flashy fuels grew beyond 50 acres and the blaze jumped a preliminary containment line, he said.
Firefighters deployed a Type 3 wildland fire engine from the airport’s fire brigade. Personnel, trucks and tenders from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the Consumnes Community Services District Fire Department and the West Sacramento Fire Department were also called to the scene to help wrestle the blaze.
Crews were able to halt forward progress just before 5 p.m. after the blaze charred 220 acres, Sylvia said.
He said that firefighters were expected to remain near containment lines for several hours to mop up and prevent embers from spreading to nearby Oak trees along the riverbanks. Among one of their tools, Sylvia said, were portable 6,000-gallon water tanks capable of replenishing tenders that can hold up to 4,000 gallons.
No injuries were reported and operations at the airport were not affected, Sylvia said.
